Summer Fun - Rhubarb Pie

Until I met our friend Philip, who baked two for my bridal shower, I'd never heard of a rhubarb pie. Strawberry-rhubarb, certainly but never plain rhubarb. In fact, I think it is safe to say that I had never had any rhubarb dish until adulthood. Now I'm a fan of the pucker-inducing vegetable that looks like red celery. Occasionally, a friend or coworker will share some of their bounty with me, but more often I pick up some from the Farmer's Market. Usually I make a crisp, but with my summer list confronting me, pie was the only option.

This time, I based the recipe off of this one for Straight-Up Rhubarb Pie found in the New York Times, in part because it called for a shortening crust. Usually I'm a butter girl all the way, but I was feeling lazy and it is so much easier to incorporate shortening than butter without using a food processor.

While the virtuous part of me intended to share it at a friend's birthday party, Trent and I have horded it. One last slice for each of us remains until the pie is only a memory.

Crust:
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
2/3 cup shortening, plus 2 tablespoons
6 tablespoons ice water

Filling
5 cups sliced rhubarb
1 1/4 cups sugar
5 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Slice rhubarb. In a medium size bowl, mix sugar, flour and cinnamon. Set aside.

Combine flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Cut the shortening into the flour. Sprinkle a tablespoon of water at a time over the dough, mixing with a fork. When it has come together, gather into two slightly unequal balls - the larger one for the bottom crust and the smaller for the top. Roll out dough on wax paper dusted with flour. Start from the center and move toward the edges, rolling until the diameter is an inch or two larger than the pan. Press into pie pan.

Place 1/4 cup of sugar, cinnamon, flour mixture on the bottom crust. Place rhubarb atop mixture. Cover with remaining cinnamon, sugar and flour. Dot with butter.

Roll out the top crust. Place over the rhubarb mixture. Trim, seal and cut several vents. Bake for 15 minutes, reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake 25 to 30 minutes more, or until bubbling.

1. Serve with your favorite ice cream. I'm partial to caramel swirl, cinnamon or vanilla.